Drier-toaster



July 18, 1967 I v J. A. ROSSI 3,331,142

DRIER-TOASTER Filed Aug. 21, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR.

w R Q J. A. ROSS! DRIER-TOASTER M as, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 21, 1964 BY- I J. A. ROSSI DRIER-TOASTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 21, 1964 INVENTOR. M055 ,4 A oss/ BY fi A/nzm WW1 J. A. ROSSI DRIER-TOASTER lab 18, i967 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 21, 1964 INVENTOR. Mas/5 H 4 @557 United States Patent 3,331,142 DRIER-TOASTER Joseph A. Rossi, Morrisvilie, Pa. (Scudder Falls East, Apt. D-14, 325 W. Upper Ferry Road, West Trenton, NJ. 08628) Filed Aug. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 391,190 2 Claims. (Cl. 34-135) This invention relates to a drier-toaster for comminuted materials having relatively light weight and low density, such as bread crumbs, the toasting aspect being dependent upon the drying temperatures used and the nature of the materials.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of an efficient, economical, and easily operated, continuous operation device of the kind indicated, whereby material charged into the device is delivered directly to a material packaging station.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character indicated above, wherein means are provided for exactly varying and controlling the rate of transit of material through the device and the drying temperatures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view of a device of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 2, portions being broken away and in section;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged and fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged and fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 3; and,

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the drum, per se.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated device comprises a horizontally elongated hollow, open-bottom housing 10, preferably rectangular in cross section, having side walls 14, a top wall 16, and front and rear, or first and second end walls 18 and 20, respectively.

The housing is supported from and is spaced above a pair of longitudinal, laterally spaced base rails 22, which are adapted to rest upon and to be secured to a supporting surface just as a floor F. Corner standards 24 are fixed to and extend downwardly from the corners of the housing bottom wall 12, and are fixed, at their lower ends, as indicated at 26, to the base rail 22, diagonal end and side braces 28 and 30, extending between the standards 24 and related areas of the bottom wall. Intermediate standards 32, located intermediate the length of the housing 10 are fixed in place like the corner standards.

A cylindrical insulated jacket 34, smaller in diameter than the housing 10 is disposed concentrically in the housing, and has open ends 36 and 38, which are positioned close to the front and rear end walls 18 and 20, respectively, of the housing. The jacket 34 is suitably supported and fixed in place, as indicated at 35 in FIGURE 3, and its top wall is formed with two longitudinally spaced openings 40, spaced from the ends of the jacket, through which are supportably secured, as indicated at 42, two relatively short vertical ducts 44. The ducts, at their upper ends, are in supportive engagement with an open through the bottom of a horizontal longitudinal, cylindrical secondary heat jacket 46, this jacket being substantially shorter than the housing 10 and the insulated jacket 34, and having closed ends 48. By means of this arrangement, the interior of the insulating jacket 34 is in communication with the secondary jacket 46, and with a flue 48, the latter having a vertical portion 50 communicating with the top of the secondary jacket, and a longitudinal portion 52 which leads to a disposal or discharge point (not shown).

The transit of hot air from within the insulating jacket 34 into the interior of the secondary jacket 46 serves to heat the horizontal longitudinal pipe portion 54, which extends concentrically through the secondary jacket, of a finished material discharge pipe 56. The discharge pipe 56 leads, from its rear end, via a suitable extension 58, to the point of delivery, not shown, preferably a packaging station. The discharge pipe 56 further includes a vertical, downwardly extending portion 60, on the front end of the horizontal portion 54, which is connected at its lower end, to the discharge side of a material moving blower 62, which is supported on the floor F, between the base rail 22, at the front ends thereof. The intake side of the blower 62 receives material in a manner hereinafter set forth.

An elongated cylindrical rotary drum 64, smaller in diameter than the insulated jacket 34, and somewhat longer in overall length than the jacket 34, is positioned substantially concentrically therein, but is disposed at a forward and downward angle relative thereto. This forward and downward angulation of the drum 64 provides for the gravitational forward feeding of comminuted material, present in the drum, to and through the open forward end 66 of the drum, which is outwardly flanged, as indicated at 68.

The front end wall 18 of the housing 10, as shown in FIGURE 2, is provided, in its upper portion, with a rectangular air intake opening 70, across which a filter screen 72 is mounted, the opening 70 being in communication with the intake of the blower 62, via the interior of the drum 64, as indicated by means of arrows in FIG- URE 2. The air intake opening 70 is also in communication with a relatively large diameter horizontal longitudinal arm 74 of a horizontal transverse moisture vent duct 76, open to the atmosphere. The vent duct arm 74 is concentric with and extends through an opening 78, in the rearwardly extending frusto-conical rear end wall of the drum 64, which itself extends rearwardly through an accommodating opening 82, provided in the rear end wall 20 of the housing 10.

.The drum 64 is surrounded, adjacent to its ends, by fixed annular front and rear channel rollways 84 and 86, respectively, in which are engaged pairs of laterally spaced front and rear drive rollers 88, 88 and 90, 90, rerespectively, as shown in FIGURES 2, 3, 6 and 7, whereby the drum 64 is rotatably supported and driven within the insulated jacket 34. The front rollers 88 are smaller in diameter than the rear rollers 90, to provide for the forward and downward angulation of the drum 64.

As shown in detail in FIGURES 6 and 7, the rollers, such as the rear rollers 90 shown, are fixed on transverse horizontal shafts 92, inwardly of the ends thereof, and extend upwardly through openings 94, provided in the bottom wall of the insulated jacket 34. At its outer ends, each shaft 92 is journaled in bearings 96, upstanding on related cross members 98 which extend between longitudinal members 100 of an open rectangular main frame 102, upon which the housing 10 is supported.

At points intermediate their ends, the roller shafts 92 are provided with sprocket wheels 104, over which is trained a sprocket drive chain 106. An electric motor 108, fixed upon the bottom member 110, of a sub-frame 112 extending down from the main frame 102, has a relatively large diameter sprocket wheel 114, under which the chain 106 is trained. The chain 106 passes off the motor sprocket wheel 114 and under the sprocket wheel 116 of a chain tightener 118, and the part of the chain between the roller shaft sprocket wheels 104 is trained under laterally spaced idler sprocket Wheels 120, which are mounted on the frame 102.

The chain tightener 118 compresses a vertical lever 122, pivoted, at its upper end, as indicated at 124, to the frame 102 and carries the sprocket Wheel 116 at its lower end. The lever 122 has, intermediate the sprocket wheel 116 and its upper end, a rotary ball nut 126, through which is threaded, as indicated at 128, an adjusting screw 130 which is journaled through an upright member 132, of the frame 102, the screw having an operating handle 134, on its outer end. Opposed conical-faced collars 136 are fixed on the screw 130, and engage opposite sides of the frame member 132. Rotating the screw 130, in appropriate directions, serves to tighten or loosen the chain 106. Appropriate speed control switch means (not shown) may be provided for the motor 108, to afford exact control of the speed of rotation of the drum 64.

The drum 64 is provided, around its side wall 138 with internal, equally circumferentially spaced, similarly longitudinally angled raddles or baffies 144), which extend substantially the length of the drum, and terminate at the open front end of the drum. The raddles 140 serve to gently and gradiently and constantly move material present in the drum, toward its open forward end, thus supplying discharge impetus in addition to the forward gravitational flow of the material produced by the forward and downward angulation of the drum.

Material discharged from the front end of the drum 64 falls into the open upper end 142 of a vertical intake conduit 144 of the blower 32. As shown in FIGURE 2, the lower part 146 of the front end wall 18 of the housing 10, is finally offset, and the front wall 148 of the intake conduit 144 is extended upwardly above the bottom Wall of the drum 64, and is engaged with the rear side of the wall part 146. The blower serves to move the material discharged from the drum 64, upwardly through and along the material discharge pipe 56. In this passage of the material, the material is further dried by its transit through the discharge pipe portion 54, extending through the secondary heating jacket 46.

For heating the drum 64, a longitudinal horizontal burner feeding and supporting pipe 150, suitably supported on the frame 102, is located in line with a longitudinal opening 152, provided in the bottom wall of the insulated jacket 34, as shown in FIGURE 3, and carries, at longitudinally spaced intervals, upstanding gas burners 154 positioned in the opening 152, which apply heat directly to the bottom wall of the drum 64, as the drum is rotated.

Material to be processed is fed into the drum 64, at its rear end, by means of feeding assembly 156. The assembly 156 comprises a downwardly tapering, preferably cylindrical hopper 158, which is supported, at its upper end, on a level above the rear end of the housing 10, by an upstanding bracket 159 on the latter. As shown in FIGURE 4, the hopper 158 has a plain cylindrical upper portion 166 having a fiat top wall 162 and :a side wall 164. A vertical cylindrical baffle 164 extends part way down into the interior of the cylindrical upper portion 160, through an opening 168 at the top wall 162. A horizontal feed pipe 170, leading from a source (not shown) of material to be processed, leads tangentially through the side wall 164 of the upper portion of the hopper.

The hopper 158 terminates, at its lower end, in a vertical, reduced diameter spout 172, which is fixed, at its lower end, in an opening 174, in the top wall of the arm 74 of the moisture vent conduit 76. The spout 172 has a forwardly and downwardly angled extension 176 which extends across the interior of the arm 74, and downwardly through the bottom wall of the arm 74, and opens, at its lower end, through the lower part of the frusto-conical rear end wall portion 80 of the drum 64.

As shown in FIGURE 1, a source of material to be processed, in the above described device, may take the form of a powerfeeding assembly 178, located adjacent to the device, and having an intake chute 180, leading into 4- a hopper 182, containing material handling mechanism (not shown) and provided with a motor driven blower 184, to whose discharge side of the material feeding pipe is connected.

In operation, the burners 154 being in operation, the drum 64 being rotated, at the desired speed, and material being supplied to the material feeding assembly 178, the finished product is continually and constantly discharged to the packaging station, in a uniformly treated condition, through the discharge pipe 56.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a housing having a top wall, sidewalls, and front and rear end walls, an insulated horizontal jacket spacedly-supported within the housing and reaching substantially to the end walls of the housing, a rotary drum supported spacedly within located close to the front end wall of the housing, the rear end wall being formed with an opening, said drum having a closed rear end portion which extends rearwardly through said opening, material-feeding means supported on the housing and entering said rear end portion of the drum, said drumhaving internal means adapted to move material present therein to the open front end of the drum, means heating the drum, and material-discharging means having material-receiving means within the housing and beneath the open front end of the drum, and means for rotating the drum, said material-feeding means comprising an external hopper mounted on the housing, said hopper terminating at its lower end in a reduced diameter spout leading into the drum, said rear end wall of the drum having a frusto-conical portion extending rearwardly through said opening, a moisture vent pipe having a horizontal longitudinal arm extending axially. through said frusto-conical portion and opening into the interior of the drum, said spout extending downwardly across said vent pipe arm and opening at its lower end through the part of said frusto-conical portion below said vent pipe arm.

2. A device of the character described comprising a housing having a top wall, sidewalls, and front and rear end walls, an insulated horizontal jacket spacedly-supported within the housing and reaching substantially to the end walls of the housing, a rotary drum supported spacedly within said jacket and having an open discharge and located close to the front end wall of the housing, the rear end wall being formed with an opening, said drum having a closed rear end portion which extends rearwardly through said opening, material-feeding means supported on the housing and entering said rear end portion of the drum, said drum having internal means adapted to move material present therein to the open front end of the drum, means heating the drum, and material-discharging means having material-receiving means within the housing and beneath the open front-end of the drum, and means for rotating the drum, said materialdischarging means comprising a blower having intake and discharge sides, the front end wall of the housing having a lower portion spaced forwardly fromthe open front end of the drum, in which the intake side of the blower is positioned to receive material from the open front end of the drum, and a discharge pipe connected .to the discharge side of the blower and leading to a material-packaging station, said discharge pipe having a vertical portion leading upwardly from the blower, said vertical portion terminating at its upper end in a horizontal portion overlying and spaced upwardly from the top wall of the housing, a closed secondary heating jacket spacedly-surrounding said horizontal portion, and longitudinally-spaced vertical ducts communicating with and supporting said secondary jacket, said vertical ducts traversing the top wall of the housing and the top wall of the insulated jacket and communicating with the interior of the insulating jacket between the sidewall of the latter and said drum.

(References on following page) said jacket and having an open discharge end I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Sears 26334 Hagan 34-142 Greaves 34-137 Lisk 34142 Gea 34-142 Hawley et a1 74-242.15 Berge 34-130 6 2,985,027 5/1961 Murray 74-241.1 3,013,785 12/1961 King 34135 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,279 1912 Great Britain.

MARTIN P. SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner. FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Examiner. B. L. ADAMS, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A TOP WALL, SIDEWALLS, AND FRONT AND REAR END WALLS, AN INSULATED HORIZONTAL JACKET SPACEDLY-SUPPORTED WITHIN THE HOUSING AND REACHING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE END WALLS OF THE HOUSING, A ROTARY DRUM SUPPORTED SPACEDLY WITHIN SAID JACKET AND HAVING AN OPEN DISCHARGE AND LOCATED CLOSE TO THE FRONT END WALL OF THE HOUSING, THE REAR END WALL BEING FORMED WITH AN OPENING, SAID DRUM HAVING A CLOSED REAR END PORTION WHICH EXTENDS REARWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENING, MATERIAL-FEEDING MEANS SUPPORTED ON THE HOUSING AND ENTERING SAID REAR END PORTION OF THE DRUM, SAID DRUM HAVING INTERNAL MEANS ADAPTED TO MOVE MATERIAL PRESENT THEREIN TO THE OPEN FRONT END OF THE DRUM, MEANS HEATING THE DRUM, AND MATERIAL-DISCHARGING MEANS HAVING MATERIAL-RECEIVING MEANS WITHIN THE HOUSING AND BENEATH THE OPEN FRONT END OF THE DRUM, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING THE DRUM, SAID MATERIAL-DISCHARGING MEANS COMPRISING A BLOWER HAVING INTAKE AND DISCHARGE SIDES, THE FRONT END WALL OF THE HOUSING HAVING A LOWER PORTION SPACED FORWARDLY FROM THE OPEN FRONT END OF THE DRUM, IN WHICH THE INTAKE SIDE OF THE BLOWER IS POSITIONED TO RECEIVE MATERIAL FROM THE OPEN FRONT END OF THE DRUM, AND A DISCHARGE PIPE CONNECTED TO THE DISCHARGE SIDE OF THE BLOWER AND LEADING TO A MATERIAL-PACKAGING STATION, SAID DISCHARGE PIPE HAVING A VERTICAL PORTION LEADING UPWARDLY FROM THE BLOWER, SAID VERTICAL PORTION TERMINATING AT ITS UPPER END IN A HORIZONTAL PORTION OVERLYING AND SPACED UPWARDLY FROM THE TOP WALL OF THE HOUSING, A CLOSED SECONDARY HEATING JACKET SPACEDLY-SURROUNDING SAID HORIZONTAL PORTION, AND LONGITUDINALLY-SPACED VERTICAL DUCTS COMMUNICATING WITH AND SUPPORTING SAID SECONDARY JACKET, SAID VERTICAL DUCTS TRAVERSING THE TOP WALL OF THE HOUSING AND THE TOP WALL OF THE INSULATED JACKET AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE INSULATING JACKET BETWEEN THE SIDEWALL OF THE LATTER AND SAID DRUM. 